[HPforGrownups] Re: How Twenty is Twenty?

[jazmyn]

No: HPFGUIDX 46578



Grey Wolf wrote:
> 
> 
> Nope, in that context, double class was meant as two-groups class
> (although I
> agree that terminology could've been clearer). There are clases that
> are
> taught at each house and year on their own. The most obvious are DADA
> (Defence Against Dark Arts), Transfiguration, Charms and History, as
> well as
> (possibly) Divination. On the "double" type we get CoMC (Care of
> Magical
> Creatures),  Herbology and Potions (as well as the flying lessons).

I disagree as when I went to school, double classes were 90 minute
classes rather then 45 minute classes, double in length, not size.  We
also had double session as well to complicate things further so they
could cram 1600 students into a school meant for 800 till another school
was built.  

There is no solid evidence that all classes are required to be taken
every single year either, since it might well be tailored for each
'major' and we are only seeing mostly kids who are just doing general
glasses and not majoring in anything or all have the same major.  There
might be a certain number of credits required in some fields to
graduate, judging by Ron's insistance that they keep their old
subjects.. Or maybe Ron feels forced to follow in his brother's wake,
because of his parents expectations and Harry just follows his lead
cause he is clueless as to what he wants to do with his life, other then
keep from getting killed.  

Seems like every class has two houses represented in it, wiether double
(length) or not.  

> 
> Potions is, very probably, also twice as long, which is what would be
> described in the books as "double" lesson.
> 
> Again, that is not exact: those lessons that not everyone takes are
> optional
> classes, chosen by them at the end of the second year. On the other
> hand, the
> lessons we use for these numbers are the main ones, that they take
> since first
> year and are *not* optional, and everyone takes them. Also, clever
> listees
> have figured out how many classes they have of each lesson per week,
> and
> DADA with Moody was on Thursdays and Fridays (you'll have to search
> for
> the archives for the reasoning, though).

Harry must have bad luck getting into optional classes before they are
filled if he keeps ending up in Divination. Maybe he is also just
following Percy's suggestions. If Divination was 'required', then
Hermione could not drop out of it.  Or he is lousy at figuring out how
to pick his classes or just randomly picks them to get it over with,
like Dean Thomas did.  I know people in high school who did this, cause
they didn't care what classes they took.

Or maybe the class is a pre-req for a class he really wanted?

> 
> While we cannot discount that there are missing teachers from the main
> hall
> just like Binns and Trelawney, the excuses wear a bit thin for each of
> them.

What excuse for Binns?  He doesn't eat, why would he want to sit in at
meals? Can he sit in?  Would he just keep embarrassingly sinking through
the chair into the floor, being a ghost? ;)

> Those two you mention have not been pointed out because Harry doesn't
> know them, or because they were sitting on the left side of the table
> in the
> choosing ceremony in GoF.

Or the room isn't wide enough for a staff table that fits everyone, so
only certain ones sit there.  Filch doesn't sit there either, but he is
not a professor, but an employee.

> 
> I personally discount that there are lessons Harry hasn't told us
> about. After 4
> years, I find it hard to believe that he has ignored every single
> lesson,
> homework and exam of a class.


I doubt it.  Rowling is telling a story, not recounting Real Life.  Shes
apt to write ANYTHING in that sounds good, wither the fans like it or
not.  If she thinks Magic Shop Class or Latin Studies sounds good, she
would include it, even if there was NO mention of it in any previous
books.  Shes not done springing new stuff on us yet, by any means.  If
she has already told us EVERYTHING about classes at Hoggwarts, then why
bother focusing so much attention on the school in the first place if
shes going to bore people with it being 'same old thing' after a few
books.  Note how she sprung the TriWizard thing on us, when we were
thinking there would be more Quiddich?  Guess the World Cup at the start
was just so Quiddich fans would not be put out by the lack of the game
that year at Hoggwart's.  We never even heard about Ancient Runes and
Muggle Studies till the second book and they are only mentioned in
passing.

Could see it now:

Ron: Look at the fairyhouse I made in Magic Shop Class! Its enchanted to
be big enough on the inside to hold a thousand fairies!  Oh, Goyle's
hand got cut off with the magical saw and he is up in the Infirmary
having it magically reattached.  Professor Wrenchworth was really angry!

Harry: Wicked. (turns it over, looking at it from all sides and handing
it back) But how do the fairies get in?

Ron: (looks at the fairyhouse and blinks) Oh!  I don't believe it!  I
forgot to make a hole in the front!

Hermione: (rolls her eyes) Really, Ron!


However, Rowling blew everyone's 'head counts' of numbers of students
out of the water when she was asked directly and said 'about a thousand'

Either shes got some more classes up her sleeves or when she says
'twenty', she means a lot more then that.. or maybe there are as many
students as the author NEEDS there to be in any scene, much like how
movies are filmed. We see 100 extras and are told there are 1000.  Its
all movie magic, ya know.  Books can be just as flexible, since they
don't have to give you names for EVERY extra. ;)

--Jazmyn--